Illuminating device



April 12, 1949. P. M. REsslNGER ILLUMINATING DEVICE Filed Feb. 9, 1945Patented Apr. 12, 1949 UNITED STATES PAI'ENTY OFFICE ILLUMINATIN GDEVICE Paul M. Ressinger, Chicago, Ill..

Application February 9, 1945, S`eria1Nvo". 57.6,914

My invention relatesto an improvement in lighting equipment. One purposeis to providean ornamental lighting member. y

Another' purpose is to provide alightinig* mem-- ber which inherentlythro-ws a li-gfht from ari interior light source in a predetermineddirection.

Another purpose is to provide a tubular light element which throws lightdownwardly toward and about the base of a tube or toward a predeterminedarea to be illuminated.

Another purpose is to provide a light which may advantageously be usedin display devices, showcases and the like and which is ornamental andalso constitutes an elcient lighting medium.

Another purpose is to provide a lighting element which includes meansfor preventing direct impingement of light rays upon the eyes of theobserver.

Another purpose is to provide a lighting feature which may function as astructural member or support.

Other objects will appear from time to time throughout the specificationand claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away and parts insection;

Figure 2 is an axial section on an enlarged scale; and

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specificationand drawings.

Referring to the drawings, I indicates a tubular light which may be ofany suitable type and preferably has a fitting 2 at each end with anysuitable electric contact or contacts 3. The lighting tube or bulbitself does not form part of my invention. Surrounding it, I illustratea tubular member generally indicated as 4 which may be open at each endas at 5 and which may be formed of any suitable transparent ortranslucent material 6.

Arranged along the tube are a plurality of generally conic members 'Iwhich may be opaque or less translucent than the intervening portions 6o1 may be differentiated in color from the members 6. They may, forexample, be vof opaque material with a reflective lower face. I0 is anysuitable bracket for the bottom of the tube I. It may be provided withelectric contacts not herein shown, to receive the projecting contact orcontacts 3 from the base of the tube. The

3 claims.- (cl. arca-108) serve as a structural member.

`2. v member I0 may be supported as by the-flange H- on any suitablebase support door or wall I2'.

I 3 indicates any suitable securingmember such as la' bolt or screw. Theupper end of the tube 'I extends beneath an upper bracket elem-ent l5shown as mounted by a harige I6 upon any suitable Wall or support I1 towhich it may be secured by a securing member I8. The member I5 will alsobe understood to have any suitable receiving contact or socket for theprojecting contact or contacts 3 of the upper end of the tube I.

With the parts in the position of Figures l or 2, an interior source oflight is surrounded by the outer tube. The members I are so spaced andproportioned that no light directly escapes laterally toward theobserver, if the members I are of opaque material. However, light canfreely shine downwardly and outwardly through the interveningtransparent or translucent portions 6 and Will be effective toilluminate articles positioned about the exterior of the tube 4 orlocated within the cone of illumination provided by the tube 4.

I may form the tube 4 of suicient strength to For example, taking Figure1 as diagrammatic, the member I0 may receive a base on which the lowerend of the tube 4 rests. The member I5 may then rest on the upper end ofthe tube 4 and the tube 4 may be employed to support any suitable upwardstructure diagrammatically represented by I5, I6 and I'I. For example,in a display structure which might be mounted on the top of a counter oron a oor or suitable support, one or more of the tubes 4 may be used assupports for an upper element.

One advantageous use of my invention is in connection with tubes inwhich the parts 6 are transparent and the parts 'I are opaque. Theytherefore constitute fixed shutters for preventing the lateral radiationof light from the enclosed light source I. It may be advantageous torender the lower faces of the members 1 reective.

Another application of my invention is to employ contrasting colors. Forexample, if the member 6 is transparent, the members 'I may betransparent or translucent or opaque, with the memfbers 6 and 1 ofdilerent coloring.

My invention can be employed with a variety of materials but I und itpreferable to use plastics.

It will be realized that whereas I have shown and described an operativedevice, still many changes might be made in size, shape, number anddisposition of parts without departing materially nate adjacent theinner face of said tubular member.

2. For use with a tubular light source, a unitary tubular shade oftransparent material, said shade having embedded therein a plurality ofconic opaque louvre members, the larger ends of said conic members beinglocated adjacent to the outer l surface of said tubular member, saidconic members extending upwardly and inwardly to terminate adjacent theinner face of said tubular member, said shade being open at each end,and of substantially uniform diameter from end to end.

3. An elongated, hollow, cylindrical housing adapted to receive andcompletely mask a tu- 4 bular light source, said housing comprisingalternate conical bands of translucent and opaque ma terial, both typesof bands extending from the inside to the outside of the housing, saidbands increasing in diameter downwardly, the upper boundary of eachopaque band lying in the plane of the lower boundary of the opaque bandimmediately above it, the inner and outer peripheries of the housingbeing cylindrical and smooth.

PAUL M. RESSINGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 693,088 Wadsworth Feb. 11, 19071,442,463 Bowman Jan. 16, 1923 1,978,251 Doane Oct. 23, 1934 2,147,959Arbuckle Feb. 21, 1939 2,258,354 Doane Oct. 7, 1941 2,293,924 SwansonAug. 25, 1942 2,363,374 Weyer Nov. 2l, 1944 2,366,216 Roberts Jan. 2,1945

